Quade Cooper could switch to rugby league or even take up boxing after being ‘insulted’ by the Australian Rugby Union’s latest contract offer.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the ARU is effectively forcing Cooper out of the game by offering him an incentive-based contract that is usually reserved for rookies. If he was to accept this deal, he would be regarded as below the top 30 players in Australia.

Cooper was fined A$40,000 recently for criticising the Wallabies and coach Robbie Deans, but when fit, he remains an asset to Australian rugby. In 2011, he was the Super Rugby Player of the Year.

If he decides to walk out on the Wallabies, he could also break his three-year deal with the Queensland Reds.

Switching codes and competing in rugby league is now a realistic option, and there is even speculation that he could take up boxing, fighting on the undercard of Sonny Bill Williams’s bout with Francois Botha next February.